


Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Determination

by DuskForm



Series: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Ambivalence [1]
Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:53:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28709253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuskForm/pseuds/DuskForm
Summary: For centuries, peace has been reigning supreme over the world. But how long will it last? Upon finding an amnesia-ridden Pikachu in a forest, a young Riolu may find himself closer to the answer than he thinks.
Series: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Ambivalence [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104503





	1. Prologue

I

«Do you understand what you've done?» the crimson-eyed Raichu asked. «Let me reiterate; DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!».

«Yes» Lugh admitted, lowering his gaze. The Lucario brought a paw behind the back of his head. «I really made a mess, didn't I?».

«Definitely!» the Mouse Pokémon shouted, smacking his hands on the table. «YOU MADE A POTENTIALLY APOCALYPTIC MESS!».

«Wow, now you're overreacting!». The Lucario crossed his arms. «I don't think the boy can-».

«I AM _NOT_ OVERREACTING!» the Electric-type interrupted him. He took a deep breath, pinching his nose. «The problem is not the boy himself, but the unbalance he could bring. Not to mention that-».

«WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT UP?! I AM TRYING TO SLEEP!», someone shouted from the flat below, hitting its ceiling with a broom.

The Raichu lowered his voice: « _Now_ I why you would keep disappearing, sometimes even for days!». His eyes closed, he shook his head, without even trying to hide his disapproval. «You shouldn't have done it - you weren't supposed to do it! None of us is allowed to!».

«I know, it was... a moment of weakness» the Lucario confessed.

«A _fifteen years_ long moment?». An eyebrow raised, the Raichu stared Lugh right into his sapphire eyes. «Listen, here, Lugh; you, just like all of us, have duties to attend! You have obligations, you have responsibilities!». He threw his hands up. «You can't just up and quit, for heaven's sake!».

«I've already told you that I know!» the Lucario exclaimed, standing up. Blue flares enveloped his eyes. «I am more than aware that I've made a mistake!».

The Mouse Pokémon raised an eyebrow. «So... are you going to correct it or something?».

Fire vanished from Lugh's eyes. The Lucario slowly took a few steps back. «You... you aren't suggesting that... that I should...».

«Kill him?». The Raichu shrugged. «Well, obviously, I am! In my book, the sooner we get rid of him, the better we are!».

«YOU CAN'T ASK ME TO MURDER HIM!» Lugh declared. Once again, he crossed his arm, shaking his head. «No. No, I refuse».

«Alright, do as you see fit» conceded the Mouse Pokémon, getting down his chair. «Well, if you won't do it, then I wi-».

He quickly sidestepped, dodging a punch which hit his TV instead, shattering its screen. Flames had yet again enveloped Lugh's eyes, but this time they were glowing with brighter rage. «If you even dare to lay as much as a finger on _them_ , and I will _obliterate_ you».

The Raichu didn't flinch as a reddish aura manifested around his narrowed eyes. «I am pretty sure you remember what happened twelve years ago. If you wanna, we can have another go, see how it goes». The air around his cheek cracked with electricity as his fur got pervaded by arcs of tiny, blackish thunders-bolts. «But if you lose, you'll have to give up on your Authority. What do you say? Wanna take that bet?».

The Lucario wavered, and fire left his eyes as he let his arms fall along his hips.

«That's better» the Mouse Pokémon commented. «Now, listen, I accept the fact that you are against it - it's absolutely understandable». He shook his head. «But it's for the greater good, Lugh - the boy must die. Period».

Lugh clenched his fist. Then, he suddenly turned around and stomped out of the apartment, shouting: «DON'T YOU THINK THIS IS THE END!», slamming the door behind him.

The Raichu sighed; surely, Lugh was going to try and stop him, which worried him; it would be a disaster if he found himself forced to kill him too. Then, he turned around, and his gaze finally fell on the shattered TV. He blinked a couple of times, as if he had just understood what had happened. «That was a _brand new_... 70 inch... plasma screen TV». How much had he paid for it? Something like a million and a half Poké, if he recalled correctly. And now, it was a useless mess of plastic and electric circuits - something that even the best electrician on Earth was unable to fix. The Raichu cussed, adding: «OH COME ON, I HAD BOUGHT THAT _THIS MORNING_!». He sighed. «Oh, heavens... I could really use Òrdugh's help right now, yes...».

* * *

II

" _Wherever there are sentient lifeforms, you will find religions. However you look at them, you will always find a battle of Good against Evil, Light against Darkness, Virtue against Sin, Angels against Demons. Every religion, every cult hopes for the victory of Good over the forces of Evil, so that the world may be "cleansed". However, this concept of Light's absolute victory is a sure path towards ruin for every society. We can say the same about the infamous Dark Side. If Good was to win definitively, society itself would stagnate and fall due to the absence of something to fight and people wouldn't be able to show actual noble moral compasses by defending each other with their lives, for they wouldn't have anything to defend themselves from. If Darkness was to win, the world would escalate into anarchy, and probably some circumstances will happen to make the end of the world as we know it a lot closer. Also, life would be very tedious in both cases. The key to everything is balance. It's fine for both sides to win, as long as one of them doesn't win too much_ ".

Said words, written by Sir William Sacheverell Breckenridge, at page 50 of the first edition of his "Gray Philosophy", had been read by two people only; the author, who had killed himself at 24 years old after his book sold only two copies, and the one reading one of said copies in that exact moment, in a small studio inside a workshop at number 3 of Peppermint Street.

In the small and modest town of Peppermint Creek (baptised Peppercreek by its oldest citizens) every soul alive knew Cedric Elric Dickinson, also known as "the southern pansy" by some narrow-minded people. A nickname which was only partially right about him, given that, while Cedric manners and speech were undoubtedly southern, ha had actually never shown (nor had for) anyone an interest beyond simple curiosity or, at least in once case, friendship.

Cedric closed the book and put it on his workshop's desk, though "warehouse" would've been a more correct word; the Minccino couldn't even fathom the idea of selling one of his books. And he had books to sell - meaning that some people would've paid astronomical loads of money for even one of the tomes in his private collection. Among them, there were mostly books with the slightest printing mistake. For example, one of his shelves featured at least a dozen copies of the "Arkéarium", all of which had some sort of mistake. There was the "Arkéarium of One Thousand Cussings", filled with vulgarities; the "Arkéarium of the Immutable Order", who said "and the first ones will be first, while the last ones will be last"; the "Go-Get-Dead-You-Little-Shit Arkéarium", the "Arkéarium of the Five Knights", which featured the arrival of Death, War, Pestilence, Famine and Economical Crisis; the "Arkéarium of the Damn", who said "blessed are the damned". And, last but not least, the centrepiece of his collection; the "Screw-all-of-this-I-am-out Arkéarium". Every other wrong edition could only pale when faced with that "magnum opus", probably because it was the only book featuring comments from Michael Waterpie, the proofreader, had put in place of some verses. The error (if an error it was) that Cedric found most amusing started at verse 6 of the Book of Time, 64th chapter, and it read:

1 _Arceus made Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, the Unown and_ \- a stain of ink covered three words, making them unreadable - _and Mew._

2 _Dialga and Palkia made Celebi, Mesprit, Uxie and Azelf._

3 _Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf made Victini and Meloetta._

4 _Arceus then made Xerneas, Yveltan and Zygarde._

5 _Mew then made the Shaymin, Manaphy, the Phione and all mortal Pokémon waiting to die._

6 _Screw all of this, I'm out! I can't take it anymore of this damned book - Sir Elwyn is an ingrate, and Sir Felix is a true -_ a stain of ink made that word unreadable - _, hands down! Oh, but I've had enough of their behaviour - I'm quitting tomorrow! Oh, I'd like to see how they'll do without my accurate orthographical checkings! Seriously, screw sitting inside this damned office! Holy_ \- and another stain of ink- _!_

7 -the entire verse was covered in ink-.

Reading beyond that point, but also before, even the most distracted of readers could notice that Michael had put aside the idea of quitting, going for a more satisfying revenge by "correcting" the holy book. The Arkéarium by the Elwyn & Felix Edition only ever sold two copies; one to a crazy folk who had escaped from a madhouse, the other one to Michael Waterpie himself who, on his deathbed, decided to auction it. It then landed in the hands of a lad named Martin Gray. And from then on, it got from hand to hand, until it landed on a small, foul-smelling stand in a street market, where it was immediately spotted by Cedric, who obviously couldn't let go of such a rare volume. Unluckily, the Minccino made the mistake of telling the seller the actual price of the book, and negotiations became hard. That evening, Cedric had returned home empty-handed. However, the next day, the Arkéarium was exposed right into his shop's window. And the seller was nowhere to be found.

A destiny fit for everyone who ever refused to sell him a book.

The Minccino kicked-back a bit. «Jeez, I really stayed up late tonight...». He yawned, tired. «Better if I go to sleep...». And he would've gladly done so, if someone hadn't knocked on his door in that exact moment.

Cedric (this was the name he introduced himself with) held a cuss in his throat; he could discern his brother's knocking amongst thousands.

* * *

III

Meanwhile, in a moment and a place outside of time and space, two Pokémon had witnessed the discussion between the Raichu and the Lucario.

«They had an argument».

**SO IT SEEMS.**

«And they talked about killing a boy to preserve the world's balance».

**IT WOULD SEEM SO.**

«And you have no intention whatsoever of stopping theme, do you?».

**EEEEXACTLY.**

«...why the heck not?!».

**FIRST, I HAVE TO DEAL WITH AN IMPORTANT BUSINESS - A VERY IMPORTANT BUSINESS. SECOND, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TRIED TO STOP SOMEONE FROM DOING SOMETHING?**

«I-».

**IN THE LAST ELEVEN-THOUSAND AND SEVEN-HUNDRED YEARS, I MEAN.**

«...ok, you have a point».

**SEE? SO, STOP CRITICISING MY METHODS.**

«Alright. But, apart from that, apart from that... what the heck did Lugh do?».

**AN INTERDIMENSIONAL SHITLOAD OF A MESS, THAT'S WHAT HE DID.**

«...excuse me?».

**HE MADE A TRUE MESS, BUT I DON'T THINK HE'LL FIX IT.**

«What mess are you talking about?».

**I AM NOT GONNA TELL YOU.**

«What? _WHY_?!».

**OH, COME ON; WHAT FUN WOULD THERE BE IF I SPOILED YOU THE JUICIEST PARTS?**

«...I can't tell if you're screwing with me or not. And honestly, that's terrifying».

**...WOW.**

«What?».

**NOTHING, IT'S JUST... I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HEAR THOSE WORDS COMING OUT OF _YOUR_ MOUTH!**

«And I never thought I would've said them, but... it seems like there's a first time for everything».

**IT WOULD SEEM SO.**

«Anyway, there's something I wanted to ask you for a long time».

**SHOOT.**

«About the Aspects. How come that none of them has chosen a successor?».

**WELL, MAYBE THEY STILL HAVEN'T FOUND ONE. OR MAYBE THEY'RE JUST AFRAID. AFTER ALL, FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS LIVED SO LONG, DEATH IS SOMETHING NEW AND SCARY.**

«Ah... got it...».

**I ALSO GAVE THEM A SPEECH ABOUT DEATH.**

«...and what di you tell them exactly?».

**I SAID: "WHEN IT HAPPENS, DON'T THINK AS IF YOU WERE DYING. IMAGINE IT AS SOME SORT OF... INTELLIGENT DEPARTURE".**

«What kind of speech is _that_?!».

**A VERY MEANINGFUL ONE, IF YOU CONSIDER WHAT HAPPENS _AFTER_ YOU DIE.**

«Well, you're not _entirely_ wrong».

**SO, ABOUT LIFE AND DAETH... DID YOU KNOW THAT RECENTLY, SOME MORTALS TRIED TO DISCOVER HOW OLD THE UNIVERSE IS?**

«Wait, really?!».

**YUP, REALLY! RECENTLY, SOME STARTED SAYING THAT THE UNIVERSE WAS BORN BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO, STARTING FROM AN INCREDIBLY DENSE STATE AND THAT, SOMETHING AROUND FOURTEEN BILLIONS YEARS AGO, IT EXPANDED IN A SUPER BRIEF MOMENT, AND THAT IT'S STILL EXPANDING TODAY - A BIT LIKE RAISIN IN A RISING PANETTONE.**

«Oh. Well, they're wrong about the date».

**PFFT! OF COURSE! WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING? BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! UP UNTIL A FEW CENTURIES AGO, SOME THOUGHT THAT THE UNIVERSE WAS SOMETHING AROUND SEX-THOUSAND YEARS OLD. IT'S USELESS TO SAY THAT THEY WERE WRONG, TOO.**

«That's some crazy stuff».

**BUT WAIT, THERE IS STILL MORE! SOME DUDE GOT EVEN FURTHER, AND DISCOVERED THAT HE THOUGHT WAS THE EXACT DATE! NOW, PREPARE YOURSELF, 'CUZ THIS IS SOME CRAZY DELIRATING STUFF! ACCORDING TO HIS CALCULATIONS, THE UNIVERSE WAS BORN EXACTLY IN THE YEAR 6002 a.E.V, PRECISELY ON A SATURDAY AT 7.00 a.m. BECAUSE, AND I QUOTE, "ARCEUS PREFERS TO WORK IN THE MORNING, AFTER A LONG REST".**

«Wha the- what kind of crazy calculations did he do to reach _that_ conclusion?!».

**HELL IF I KNOW! OH, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE THEY DIDN'T FIGURE OUT?**

«What?».

**EARTH'S A VIRGO.**

«...pardon?».

**I AM SERIOUS. EARTH'S A VIRGO. YOU KNOW WHAT THE HOROSCOPE SECTION OF TODAY'S "THE CLOVER" SAYS?**

«...are you kidding me?».

**NO, I AM NOT! HEAR THIS:**

_VIRGO: August the 24th - September the 22nd. You'll be cursed with a terrible feeling of impending doom. A meeting between a Lion and a Scorpio will put you in trouble, but you'll notice it much later. Stomachaches are behind the corner, so please avoid curry. Yours will be a chaotic week, but you will brave through it._

**SEE? THEY'RE RIGHT ABOUT THIS - EXCEPT FOR THE CURRY PART -, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW.**

«That's some crazy stuff...».

**YOU KNOW, THE FUNNIEST PART IS THAT ALL THE SCIENTISTS IN THE WORLD STIL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT THAT ALL THIS STUFF ABOUT POKéMON'S FOSSILS IS ONE BIG HELL OF A WELL-ORCHESTRATED JOKE WITH AN UNKNOWN PURPOSE. IF THEY WERE TO FIGURE IT OUT, THEY WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT DEITIES DON'T PLAY DICES WITH THE UNIVERSE. A DEITY PLAYS AN UNFATHOMABLE AND INEFFABLE GAME OF THEIR OWN CREATION THAT OTHER PLAYERS (BASICALLY EVERYONE ELSE) SEE AS SOME DARK ROULETTE, PLAYED IN A DARK ROOM, WITH INFINITE NUMBERS, INFINITE DICES WITH INFINITE FACES, INFINITE STAKES AND A CROUPIER WHO JUST _WON'T STOP SMILING_ , AS IF THEY WERE TELLING YOU THAT THEY HAD LET YOU WIN UP TO NOW JUST TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLAY MORE AND PLACE HIGHER BETS, ONLY TO STRIKE YOU DOWN MERCILESSLY WHEN THE BALL STOPS MOVING. BUT THE BALL NEVER STOPS, AND THE ROULETTE KEEPS ON SPINNING, SPINNING, SPINNING, STAKES GET HIGHER, PLAYERS COME AND LEAVE AS THEY PLEASE... AND THE CROUPIER KEEPS SMILING.**

A pair of bright, rainbow-coloured, glowing dices appeared in a Mew's right paw. She was wearing a black, orange-sleeved sweater and a bright orange beret; a small necklace around her neck, made out of a metal which name and elaboration methods had been lost in time. A Cheshire grin appeared on her face as she soared in the air until she lied down belly-flat on her interlocutor's head. Compared to her, he was a fairly large - yet, he allowed the New Species Pokémon to lay on top of his head, though he was unable to hide an annoyed visage.

 **SPEAKING OF GAMES,** the Mew said, **WOULD YOU LIKE ONE OF DICES?**

The larger Pokémon sighed. «Thea... may I ask you a question?».

The Mew lazily turned on her back. **SHOOT.**

«DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS IS AN ADEQUATE MOMENT?!».

The shout was powerful enough to startle the Mew, who lost his balance and fell down. However, she flipped midair and stopped her fall, a shocked expression on her face. She didn't expect that.

**...YOU DO KNOW THAT I CAN BE ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME, RIGHT?**

Her interlocutor pulled his head back, surprised, but regained his composure a moment later. «Holy me, I keep forgetting».

**IT'S BEEN LIKE THIS FOR MORE THAN TEN-THOUSAND YEARS. YOU HAVE THE WORSE MEMORY ISSUES. YOU _ARE_ GETTING OLD AFTER ALL.**

«Well, if I'm not old...». However, he immediately got back to the point. «HEY, DON'T YOU DARE DISTRACT ME! A _WORLD CRISIS_ IS COMING; ARE YOU GOING TO DO _SOMETHING_ ABOUT IT OR NOT?!».

A mocking smile sprouted on Thea's muzzle. OH, BUT I AM DOING SOMETHING. She opened her arms. **I HAVE A WELL-THOUGHT PLAN IN MIND, AND THAT CRISIS IS A PART OF IT.**

«...what kind of "plan" are you talking about? What are you plotting?».

 **RELAX - IT'S NOTHING THAT COULD BRING THE MULTIVERSAL APOCALYPSE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT** , Thea explained. She made a gesture with her right hand, and a small purple cloud appeared beneath her, quickly taking the form of a comfy velvet pillow, upon which she sat, her legs crossed. **BUT YOU KNOW... MORTALS NEED TO BE TESTED FROM TIME TO TIME**. She closed her fist, shook it and threw the dices. They both showed the same number; ∞+1. She raised her gaze, staring into the other Pokémon's green eyes. **YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANNA GIVE IT AT LEAST** ** _ONE_ GO?**

Her interlocutor stood silent for a second, before sighing in acceptance. «Alright,» he conceded. «But just _one_ , ok?».

Thea shrugged. **YOUR LOSS.**

«And if I win, you have to tell me what are you planning exactly».

**OOOOOOKAY. BUT IF _I_ WIN, WE'LL PLAY ANOTHER MATCH. DEAL?**

It was the other's turn to smile. «But of course».

_Info dump:_

**_Òrdugh_ ** _is the Aspect of Order, a figure associated with peace. He's also the protector of those who repair things for money; thus, many electricians/technicians or Pokémon trying to tidy their house call out to him._


	2. Chapter 1: It's Not Water All That Rains

I

Feeling the air messing with his fur, Arthur awkwardly opened his eyes, his eyelids heavy as stones after a good, long night of rest. He yawned a couple of times, then he looked around; left, right and up, upon which he noticed something was very off. For starters, he wasn't laying on his bed, nor any other solid surface; instead, he was surrounded by a limitless blue, surely because he was flying with the same elegance and precision of a bag full of potatoes. In simpler terms, he was free-falling.

He sighed, annoyed. He hated dreams where he would fall from great heights, they'd always gave him a near heart-attack at every awakening. Then, he had an idea. Starting slowly, and getting faster and faster, Arthur started moving his arms as if they were wings, which only succeeded in making him look like a potato-filled bag with two tiny, useless arms sprouting from its sides.

"Oh, bugger all this for a lark!" he thought, pouting. "I'll once again wake up in cold sweat". He shook his head. "Well, it doesn't matter; soon, I'll touch the ground and wake up". He smiled blissfully. "After all, this is just a dream". He closed his eyes shut and relaxed. "I'll just have to close my eyes, and everything will end soon".

A second passed.

Then two.

Then three.

Then four.

Five.

Six…

Confused, Arthur opened his eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait a sec!" he thought. "People usually wake up when they close their eyes in a dream, don't they? After all, this isn't the first time for me…". For a brief moment, his mind seemed to black-out. "…or is it?". He couldn't remember the last time he had a dream like that. Or the last time he woke up. Or anything else, actually. "All right, this is… weird". He couldn't remember his home, his friends, his family… had he even had _one_ of those things to begin with? He didn't knew. He couldn't remember them. He remembered nothing, apart from his name; Arthur. Panic surged within him. "All right, alright, alright, keep calm" he ordered himself. "First of all, I need to remember the most important of things; that _this_ is just a dream!". He looked at his paws. "And to prove that, I will now slap myself! I'll certainly wake up after that!". He pulled his hand back and slapped himself on his right cheek, unexpectedly hurting himself more than he had expected. "Ouch! My slap… _it hurt me_!" he realised, touching his hot-with-pain cheek. "Hold up, if it hurts, then…".

It was only in that moment that he decided to look down. He could see a green stain of vegetations, maybe trees, slowly coming towards him… no, _he_ was the one getting closer to it. Once enough data were gathered, Arthur's brain started elaborating an idea of what was happening.

* * *

II

The ashen sky, filled with stormy clouds, and the cold winds, bringer of storms, made Lugh feel uneasy. A pack basket on his back, a Treasure Bag on his shoulders and a scarf wrapped around his neck, the Riolu kept on walking along the path, smoothed by countless years of paws stepping on it. The Emanation Pokémon's sensitive nose quickly smelled the incoming rain – something quite usual in the Éire, especially during the autumn on the western shores. The boy clenched his teeth, allowing an annoyed grunt to flee from his lips – just because he was used to heavy rainfalls, it didn't mean they were pleasant. He lifted his snout to the sky, trying to see the Sun beyond the clouds. He had left the Guild half an hour ago, so it would take him less than an hour and a half to get to the Emerald Forest, and then it would take him two hours to get back. Basing on the weather and his experiences, Lugh estimated that he'd get wet enough to turn into a Water-type Pokémon on his way back.

«Great» he grumbled to himself. «Really great». He opened his back and rummaged through it, getting more and more annoyed. «Where the heck is it?! Where did I put it?!».

After five minutes of careful rummaging and scanning, Lugh reached the annoying conclusion that he hadn't brought a Weather Band with him. Somehow, the Riollu managed to hold back a cuss word so creative that at least a couple of gods would've descended upon Earth to compliment him for his… "creativity".

However, he was more than free to swear as much as he wanted inside his head.

"Fánach, you cursed thief!" he silently shouted against the god of deceit. "Just die already!".

Lugh didn't actually have anything against him – after all, why would the Lord of Deceit, Weaver of a Thousand Scams and Protector of Thief, make a Riolu like many others forget his Weather Scarf? The boy was insulting him only because he needed to blow off some steam against whichever god, and Fánach was the first one to pop in his mind.

«Fánach, you tool!» the fifteen-year-old swore, this time actually shouting, kicking a big half-buried rock beside the path. «Why does this kind of stuff happen to me?!».

As if answering his question, the rock shivered for a moment, and two wiry arms popped out of its sides. Propping himself on said arms, the rock – which Lugh understood too late to be a Geodude – turned towards him, staring at him with not so amused eyes.

"Oh…" Lugh thought as a considerable amount of rocks started hovering around the Rock Pokémon, "… … … blast!".

Then, the Geodude shouted: «I'll teach you not to kick other people, you little rascal!».

The Riolu immediately raised his hand. «Hold up, hold up, there's a mis-». He sidestepped to dodge a Rock Throw. «-understanding! I was sure you were an actual rock!».

«ARE YOU SAYING I'M A _FAKE_?! YOU THINK I'M NOT A TRUE ROCK-TYPE?!».

«No, no, you're misunderstanding my words!» Lugh tried to explain himself as he stepped back to avoid a Rock Tomb. «This is a huge misunderstanding!».

«WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, MH?! GOING AROUND, KICKING SLEEPING FOLK!».

«But I-».

«I'M GONNA TEACH YOU SOME RESPECT, YE RASCAL!».

«But actually-».

«I'LL TEACH YE A LESSON!».

«W-wait, I-».

«I'M GONNA SNAP YOU IN HALF!».

It was then that Lugh understood that arguing with that thick-headed Pokémon was pointless. He dropped his Treasure Bag on the ground as he swiftly dodged a Stone Edge attack.

«Alright, forget I said that» he grumbled to himself. A thunder roared and rattled the sky. «I just hope the rain can cool this guy down» he hoped, assuming his combat stance and whispering: « _Fánach, I'm going to be so mad at you…_ ».

* * *

III

Despite being awake for barely twelve minutes, Arthur's brain had developed three facts. First; that was no dream at all. Second; its owner was falling from a considerable height at a considerable speed. Third; in a soon-to-come moment, the boy would've shared a passionate, brief kiss with the ground, upon which he'd be turned into a pancake. And as soon as the brain elaborated said data, it sent several inputs to the boy's body, which resulted in a perfectly reasonable and appropriate reaction from him.

« _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!_ ».

He didn't know for how long he had been screaming, and he didn't actually care about it that much. His pupils and irises had shrunken so much that his eyes looked like tiny white pebbles, tears gushing from them and soaring in the sky due to inertia. His desperate attempts to slow his fall by stretching his arms and legs wide, had all failed miserably, and he didn't know how much air he had in his lungs.

«This can't be the end! I'm too young to die!» he shouted, desperately flapping his arms as if they were wings in order to fly. Which, obviously, didn't sort any result. « _HEEEEEELP!_ ».

* * *

IV

Several minutes and kicks and punches later, a pretty roughed-up Lugh finally set foot inside the Emerald Forest. He wasn't at his best; he was covered with cuts and bruises, courtesy of the Geodude he had defeated with difficulty, despite his type advantage. As soon as he entered the thick scrub, he went beside the path and sat down, tired and in pain.

«Ugh…» he moaned, holding his knee. «That guy… punched hard as heck… aaaah…». He breathed some air through his clenched teeth, and moaned again. «Aaaah…». He leaned his back against a nearby tree. «Well, at least I have some Oran Berries…». His eyes narrowed as he rummaged through the bag. «…I hope».

Luckily for him, his Oran Berries _were_ actually in the bag, unlike his Weather Scarf. He greedily scarfed two of them, and after two seconds he felt refreshed and soothed. Without losing any time, he heaved himself on his paws.

«And now, let's get down to business!».

Picking up dry twigs was indeed a tedious, boring job, but it had to be done. Lugh started scanning the ground, looking for some twigs but finding none. After a minute or two, he decided to venture further inside the Forest, hoping to strike luckier. Which he did. The ground closer to the Forest's centre was entirely covered in twigs and branches. Lugh's lips curled into a satisfied smile as he started picking them up.

«Now _this_ is a lot of wood» he commented, pleased, while turning around. Even though that day had started badly, the Riolu now felt like nothing could go wrong anymore. «Well, it's better if I get a move on». A lightning lit the sky up for a second, followed by the roar of thunder. «Luck can only get me so far – I'm sure as heck that it's gonna rain soon».

He stepped forward, but he slipped on a twig and fell with this back on the ground. Upon which his pack basket's bottom broke, spreading all of its precious contents on the ground. Lugh propped himself up on his elbows. He did not need to turn around, he already knew what had happened to all of his precious dry twigs.

«Holy…». Half lying on the ground, he clenched his teeth and hissed: «…blast!». As he looked around, however, a sadistic smile crept on his face. «Hey, wait a second… there are o kids around… I CAN SWEAR FOR REAL!». He inhaled and roared his fury at the sky. « _FU_ -».

The Riolu would never complete his invective against whichever god, mostly because in that exact moment something far too solid, big and heavy to be a drop of rain impacted with his belly, squeezing the air out of his lungs. The Riolu instinctively curled in a ball, and so he stayed for at least ten seconds, before stretching his arms and legs out in order to see what the heck had hit him so hard.

There was a Pikachu on his belly, lying belly-flat – and probably unconscious, but definitely alive; the Riolu could feel his warm breath on his abdomen. However, before he could figure out what to do, the Mouse Pokémon grumbled something and raised his head. Lugh winced upon seeing the Electric type's eyes; they were of a bright shade of red, pierced by a white pupil, and there was something about them that made them different from everything that Lugh had ever seen… though he didn't know what it was exactly.

The Pikachu blinked a couple of times, staring at the Riolu's eyes. Then, he suddenly threw his arms at Lugh's neck.

«Oh, my heroic living pillow!» he said. «You save-!».

«GET OFF ME RIGHT THE HECK NOW?!». The Pikachu was cut off in the middle of expressing his gratitude when Lugh punched him hard enough to send him flying.

The Mouse Pokémon harshly landed on his face, seven feet away.

Slowly, Lugh turned around. All the twigs he had picked up had been scattered around, and the waterproof cloth he was using to cover them had been filled with holes. So, not only the Riolu had no mean to carry all the wood, but he also had no way to keep it dry. «DAMN IT!». Frustrated, he kicked a twig. «DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT! HOLY DAMNED FÁNACH!». After that brief moment of anger, he let out an annoyed sigh. «Alright… the waterproof cloth hasn't been damaged _that_ badly… and I can still carry some twigs under my arms…». As if on cue, a thunder roared between heaven and Earth. Lugh's eyes narrowed as he raised his gaze to the sky, pointing menacingly at the stormy clouds. « _Don't you dare rain right now_ » he hissed, « _or I swear on Anord that I'll curse the name of every god I can think about_ ».

«So… need some help over there?».

Lugh turned his head around. The Pikachu had heaved himself on his paws and approached him. His rough landing from before had filled his face with tiny bruises and cuts.

The Riolu regretted his action a bit; maybe he had overreacted. Nevertheless, he shook his head. «I don't need your help» he said as he crouched down and started picking up the twigs.

«Are you sure?» the Mouse Pokémon asked. «I mean, it _does_ seem to me that you could use a little help…».

«I said that I. Don't. Need. Your. Help» he said without even turning around. «What are you, deaf?».

The Pikachu backed off. «Okay, I just wanted to help… jeez…». He blinked a couple of times before asking: «And what about you? What _are_ you supposed to be?».

«What do you think I am?» Lugh rhetorically asked.

«I dunno…». The Pikachu shrugged. «Some kind of magical talking dog?».

Lugh's eyes widened as he turned around, pointing at the Mouse Pokémon. «What the- _are you being serious right now?!_ ».

«Uh… yeah?». He looked at his paws. «I mean… I have no idea what _I_ am… or _who_ … I can't remember…».

«You don't know who you are?!». Metaphorical cogs started spinning inside the Riolu's mind. "Alright. He doesn't know he's a Pikachu, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't know he's Pokémon either… heck, he probably doesn't even know _what a Pokémon is!_ So… he's either making fun of me, or genuinely dumb". Both options were plausible, but the Riolu went with the former. «Okay, that's funny and all, but I've got no time to lose, so… leave».

«But-». The Pikachu's eyes widened. «B-but I don't have anywhere to go…».

"Oh, Anorddamn it!". Lugh silently swore against the god of chaos, before turning to the Pikachu. «Alright, listen, it's gonna rain soon, so what about this; if you help me bring the wood to the Guild, I'll find you a shelter for tonight. Deal?».

The Pikachu's gaze brightened up. «Reallyyyy?!».

«Uh… yes» the Riolu answered.

«Thanks a bunch, then!». The Pikachu then bent down, and started picking twigs up, carefully placing them under his arms.

"Neat!" the Riolu thought, satisfied. "Now I can bring him to the Guild, where he'll be a bother for someone else". He sneered. "And I'll also manage to fetch the dry wood to the Guild… it's like taking two rewards for one mission!". In his little inside-world, the Riolu closed his eyes and brought a fist to his chest. "I am a _genius_!".

«Say, what's your name?» the Mouse Pokémon asked.

«Lugh» the Riolu answered.

«My name's… Arthur» the Pikachu answered. «…! I can remember my name!».

«Nothing else?» Lugh asked.

Arthur opened his mouth but said nothing. He immediately closed it, doubtful. «…nothing else», he eventually admitted, a despondent look on his face.

The Riolu did his best not to cuss. "Why am I asking him questions?! I just need him to help me bring the wood, then I'll dump him at the Guild, and that'll be it! What do I care if he's got amnesia?".

Eventually, they somehow managed to gather the twigs and wrap them with the waterproof cloth without poking any holes in it. Lugh loaded the improvised pack on his shoulders. «Okay, follow me now» he told Arthur. «I have a good feeling that we won't get wet at all!».

SPACK.

Something tiny and cold broke apart on Lugh's nose; it was a raindrop, promptly followed by another raindrop. And another one. And another one. And another one.

In less than ten seconds, the sky unleashed a full-fledged squall upon the two Pokémon. Lugh took a deep breath before turning to Arthur.

«Tell me, how old are you?».

Arthur shrugged. «I can't remember».

«Well, I'd say you look somewhere around my age, but plug your ears just in case» the Riolu recommended. Once the Pikachu had followed his advice Lugh raised his gaze to the sky, an almost blessed look on his rain-kissed muzzle. He closed his eyes and brought his paws together, almost as if he was praying, and said: «Oh, Lugh and Dubh, Òrdugh and Anord, Cóir and Slánú…». He suddenly opened his eyes and arms, making body gestures as if he was possessed, and shouted: «I SWEAR UPON YOUR MOTHER THAT I'LL BREAK YOUR NOSE, YE ACCURSED, INFAMOUS, DAMNED, FILTHY, GAMMY, MANKY MUPPETS BORN FROM A SORRY BANJAX OF A MOTHER!». He kept going like this for something around thirty seconds, adding more and more insults. Eventually, he shook his fist at the sky. «Especially you, Fánach! Ye worthless _fecker_!».

* * *

V

Arthur could only stare as the Riolu went on with… whatever he was doing. Even though the Pikachu couldn't actually hear what the boy was saying, he was still able to get the general picture.

"I think he's swearing" the Mouse Pokémon thought, "and pretty violently, too".

An almost idiotic smile appeared on his yellow muzzle. For some reason, seeing him lose it was pretty amusing.

Suddenly, however, the light surrounding the Riolu changed its colour and shape, and Arthur soon wasn't in the forest anymore.

Instead, he was in an empty dark space, void of any form and essence, where neither rain nor light could reach him.

 _Therefore, I shall grant each one of you a fraction of my power_ , a voice echoed around him. He couldn't tell who it belonged to, nor if it was masculine or feminine. _But don't you dare misuse it, or there will be dire consequences_.

Before Arthur could say or do anything, the veil of darkness collapsed.

«Hey. Hey! You alright there?».

Arthur blinked a couple of times. Lugh was swinging one of his paws before his face.

«Y-yes… everything's fine» the Pikachu lied. «What happened?».

«You were staring at the ground» the Riolu explained. «And I couldn't grab your attention – you wouldn't even answer me».

«How long have I been like that?».

«Seven long, excruciating seconds».

«Oh» Arthur said. «Okay».

«Did you remember something?» Lugh asked.

The Mouse Pokémon shook his head. «No… I don't think so…».

Lugh set off. «Well then, let's get going – I don't wanna get wetter than necessary».

Arthur followed him silently, but his head brimming with questions. "Okay, so… like… what the heck was _that_?! I've undoubtedly heard a voice… is it a memory I lost?". He shook his head. "I don't know, but maybe it means that-".

His train of thought stopped when he noticed _something_ moving amid the trees, just barely inside his peripheral vision. He stopped. «What in the world-?».

He quickly glanced at Lugh, just to keep track of his position, then plunged headfirst in the trees. Almost immediately, he felt something different than wet mud under his right foot. He looked down. There was _something_ on the ground. Trying not to let any twig fall, the Pikachu bent down and plucked the object out of the mud. He found himself with a long piece of torn cloth in his hands. It looked just like some kind of scarf, but it was so ripped, dirty and run-down, that it could've been any other thing. Still, Arthur picked that maybe-it-was-once-a-scarf and used it to tie the twigs together, making his job a bit easier.

« _Stay determined_ » a deep, masculine voice whispered in his ears. « _Or it will be the end of everything_ ».

Arthur quickly turned around, his fur standing on end from fear. But there was no one behind him. The Pikachu stood silent for a couple of seconds before backing off a bit. Then, he turned around and run towards Lugh. After all he had gone through, he just wanted to get the hell away from that place as soon as possible.

Stepping on a puddle, the Pikachu couldn't notice his red eyes' reflection on the surface. For an instant, they glowed red, and a thin crimson fog steamed from their irises. But it was only for an instant. And Arthur didn't notice it.


	3. Chapter 2: Sword

I

It was a peaceful winter morning - which meant, for every Peppermint Creek's resident, a season of rainfalls, fog and icy winds. In the last few hours, a storm unlike anything ever seen in forty years, had been striking the Æthelish town.

«So... what's the plan?» Cedric asked, sitting behind his desk, interested more in the raindrops hitting the windows than his guest's words.

«Simple» his brother answered. «First, we find Lugh and the boy. Then, we murder the boy».

«Hell no!» the Minccino protested immediately, his eyes wide open. «How is that possible that your only solution to every problem is violence?».

«Alright, genius» the Raichu deadpanned, making himself comfy on the chair by laying his paws on his brother's desk. «Have you got a better idea?».

«Yes!» the Chinchilla Pokémon answered, a vein on his head bulging. «As a matter of fact, I have a pretty precise idea of what will happen to you if you don't take those filthy paws of yours off my desk! It's mahogany!».

«Alright, alright» the Raichu said. «Sometimes, I just can't read you. I mean, how expensive can this thing be?».

«At least two-thousand and seven-hundred pounds!» Cedric answered, annoyed. «Give or take a few pandies!».

«Wait, really?». The Raichu sat up straight again - not because his brother had told him to. He was simply getting tired of that position. «So, back to the point again - do you _really_ have a better idea?».

«Not now, no» the Minccino admitted, tapping his fingers on the chair's armrest. «For starters, we don't even know if he's an _actual_ threat».

«I'm one-hundred per cent sure he is» the Mouse Pokémon answered without hesitation. «I'm positive he got _something_ from his father».

Cedric raised a sceptical eyebrow. «Yeah... sure...».

The Raichu crossed his arms and huffed. «Oh, come on! You know that's true!».

«Well, for starters, something like that has never happened before». The Minccino adjusted his eyeglasses on his nose. «And even it is as you say, you know how much I hate senseless violence! Sorry, but I'm not helping you!».

«Ok, what about this - we go and have a look around, just to be sure» the Raichu proposed. «And then we decide what to do. Deal?».

The Minccino thought about it for a few seconds. «Do you even know where the boy is?».

«Nope» the Mouse replied innocently. «Not a clue».

Cedric slowly performed a double facepalm and sighed, dismayed. «No way». He shook his head. «I'm not doing that».

«Hey, don't beat yourself up!» the Raichu tried to encourage him. «Listen, would you like it if I treated you to dinner?».

The Minccino raised his gaze. «Ah...».

«I owe you one from... from...».

«From that time in Bànlind, 1800».

«Oh» the Raichu said, surprised. «It's been... a while...».

«Yup». Cedric stood up and jumped on the floor. «Well, we'd better shake a leg - this is going to be a looooooong search».

«Oh, it won't be so bad» the Mouse promised. «We'll just have to look around a bit, ask a couple of questions...».

«No, I'm sure it's going to take much longer than that». Cedric adjusted his eyeglasses. «For starters, we don't even know _where_ to start from».

A sneer appeared on the Raichu's muzzle. «But if we use our Authorities, it will be like a walk in the park».

«That is also true» the Minccino admitted as he bent down to pick a book up. «But first, let me tidy up my office».

* * *

II

The more they walked, the more nature seemed to give way to civilization. At first, they saw nothing more than a few rural houses in the middle of the country or beside the path, but the landscape grew more crammed with buildings as they went Souther.

All this under an unstoppable rain, which made the two travellers look like two walking dishcloths.

Pulling aside the wet fur covering his eyes, Arthur rushed to reach a water-drenched Lugh, whose greater height came with a quicker pace. «Hey, so...» Arthur started. «Where are we going, exactly?».

«We're going to the city of Cuan na Seimre» the Riolu explained, without so much as looking at him. «Then I'll bring you to the Guild, where you'll receive some help».

«The Guild?». The Electric-type raised an eyebrow. «What's the Guild?».

«A Guild is a group of people carrying out the same profession» Lugh explained. «There are traders guilds, scholars guilds, artisan guilds and many others. The Emerald Guild - also known as Cuallacht na Smaragaide - is an Explorers guild, but the citizens of Cuan na Seimre simply call it "the Guild"».

Arthur tilted his head to the side. «What's an explorer?».

«An Explorer - with a capital "E" - is someone whose job is rescuing other Pokémon» the Riolu explained. He then turned his head, showing the brooch pinned on his green scarf: it was white, consisting in three metallic, heart-shaped petals, encircling a pink glass marble. It looked like a clover. «I, too, am an Explorer from the Cuallacht na Smaragaide». However, he suddenly turned the other way and groaned: «Oh, why the hell am I even telling you this?! We'll soon be at the Guild, and all of your questions will be answered».

«Do you think I'll ever get my memories back?» the Pikachu asked, his ears standing on end.

«Hell if I know!» the Riolu answered sharply. «Hell if I care!».

«Well, you must care to a certain extent» Arthur said, «since you decided to help me».

«I did that only because I'm an Explorer» Lugh replied coldly. «I would have done the same for any other Pokémon. You're not special».

The Electric-type ears went limp as he lowered his gaze. «Oh... a-alright, then...».

The Pikachu kept staring at his own feet for the majority of the travel, until he noticed that the barren ground had given way to a stone-paved street. Upon realizing this, Arthur lifted his gaze. The rural landscape had disappeared, replaced by an urban one of streets, shops, houses and streetlamps. Busy as he was with looking around, the Pikachu failed to notice that Lugh had stopped, consequently colliding with his bottom.

«What the-». The Riolu turned around. «WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!»

«Sorry» Arthur whispered, rubbing his hand on his head.

«Anyway... here we are!» the Riolu announced, pointing forward. «The Cuallacht na Smaragaide».

The building they stood before loomed over the others, like a sequoia in an oak forest. Its grey-painted walls and stark façade gave it an imposing vibe. Arthur roughly estimated it to be something around eighty feet tall, not to mention the antennas on the roof.

«Now» Lugh said as he approached the gate, «let's get down to business». He was facing some kind of small, black box, equipped with a numeric keypad and a screen. «What was this week's code? 4-9-8-5-7, right?». He entered the code and pressed the enter button. Almost immediately, the screen lit up, showing a Fennekin sitting at a desk and chewing a pencil.

« _Hi, how may I help-_ » she started, keeping on chewing the pencil, before looking down. « _Oh... it's you, Lugh_ ».

The Riolu brought two fingers to his forehead. «Hello, Bridget!».

The girl closed her eyes and sighed, putting the pencil on the table for a moment. « _Did you bring the wood?_ » the Fox Pokémon asked with a tone suggesting she expected a negative answer.

«Obviously» the Riolu answered plainly. «That, and a guy with amnesia».

The Fennekin raised an eyebrow. « _...excuse me?_ ».

«He's right here!». Lugh turned to Arthur, signing him to come forward.

The Pikachu took a hesitant step towards the gate and raised his gaze to the screen. He stood still for a few second, unsure on what to do.

« _Oh_ » the Fennekin said. Slowly, she took the pencil and shoved it into her mouth, caressing it with her tongue. « _Mmh... are you sure he's got amnesia?_ ».

«He doesn't even know what a Pokémon is» Lugh answered. «Sounds like amnesia to me».

« _How can you be so sure? What if he's lying?_ » Bridget asked, nibbling her pencil. « _And don't tell me you read his aura, because we both know you can't do that_ ».

Lugh's expression immediately changed as a vein on his forehead bulged. «Listen, going to the Emerald Forest and coming back took me longer than gathering wood, this guy», and he pointed at Arthur, «fell on my stomach from Fánach only knows where AND IT'S RAINING SKITTY AND LILLIPUP, BRIDGET! I'VE BEEN UNDER THE RAIN FOR _TWO HOURS AND A HALF!_ ».

« _...alright, you have a point_ » Bridget had to admit, as she pushed a small red button on her desk. Slowly but steadily, the gates opened. « _You may come in, Lugh. And as for the Pikachu, I'll arrange a meeting with the Captain... if I can find her_ ».

«Thanks!» the Riolu said before turning to Arthur. «Alright, now _shake a leg_! The sooner we get in, the better it is!».

After crossing the gate, the two walked through a short cement walkway, before passing under a big stone arc, after which there was a vast, square garden. At its centre stood a huge fountain, made out of two circular concentric marble basins, on top of which stood a marble cup decorated with four bronze statues of a creature Arthur could not recognize. Looking around as he walked, Arthur noticed the garden was divided into five areas; the central one was covered in gravel, just like the walkway; the north-west one was occupied by a thick bush of white roses; the north-east one hosted a shrub of crimson roses; the south-east one was home to a hedge of roses that were just as yellow as his fur; and last but not least, the south-west area hosted roses of a red so dark to appear almost black. Everything was rain-soaked, drenching, while tiny raindrops slithered on leaves, between thorns, and on petals. Arthur went back to looking forward, only to notice that Lugh had gone pretty far ahead of him.

«H-hey, wait for me!» the Pikachu protested, as he clumsily rushed towards him.

* * *

III

After going under a second arch of stone and through the main door, the two found themselves in the _actual_ entryway. Arthur was stunned by the sheer hugeness of that room. In front of him a staircase stretched downwards, surrounded by two other stairways going upwards and curving towards a landing. There were no gimmicks or unnecessary decorations - just stone. Two lanterns on top of the bannisters illuminated everything.

«What the- how ginormous is this place?!» the Pikachu almost shouted, raising his tail and ears in disbelief.

«More than you think» Lugh answered. «It was built by the same architect who designed some palace... I can't remember that lad's name... ah, who cares? He's long dead now». He then pointed forwards - down at the end of the staircase, one could see a door at the end of a short aisle. «That's where the guildhall is, and we also use it as a dining ro- WHY THE HECK AM I EXPLAINING THAT TO YOU?!». The Riolu let out an annoyed sigh. «Grand, let's just get this over with, before-».

«I could recognize that shout amidst hundreds».

Lugh interrupted himself upon hearing the voice of a Pokémon. A Pokémon that, according to his calculations, was NOT supposed to be there. He suddenly froze, slowly raising his gaze till he crossed that of she who was standing on the landing. A figure elegant and limber as a stream, strong as a storm and sturdy as an oak; a marmoreal austerity and an indomitable will; a posture so stern, yet so elegant; and a gaze both royal and terrifying; and a steel-like spirit that had earned her the nickname "Sword". She was wearing a black scarf, upon which there was pinned a brooch just like Lugh's, but black; and the marble in the middle was dark-green. The Lucario kept her arms crossed behind her back as she climbed down the left stairway, keeping on looking down on the other two Pokémon. Her face was just as unperturbed as a sword's edge.

«Hi» she said then. There was no kindness whatsoever in her voice - just an unfathomable, stern coldness. «Lugh».

«H-hi» Lugh stuttered, straightening his back and trying to keep his tail from twitching. «C-Cruach...».

«You weren't expecting me to be here».

«W-well, I thought you were on a long mission in the North... I wasn't expecting you until next week».

«There was a change of plans, and I finished early - I came back home today at 9.00 a.m. I went looking for you, but I couldn't find you - then I caught wind you had gone fetch some wood with a pack basket».

«W-well, we were running low on it, and s-since winter's at the d-d-d-door...».

The taller Pokémon's eyes narrowed as she gazed upon the wood-filled waterproof cloth under the Riolu's armpits. «...what's that?».

«T-the wood I g-g-gathered t-today» the Riolu muttered, his fur now soaked in both sweat _and_ rain.

«Why isn't it in the pack basket?» Cruach asked, sounding like she exactly knew the answer to her own question.

«I b-b-broke it» the Emanation Pokémon admitted. «I s-slipped and l-landed on my back, s-so... I had to improvise».

Cruach's eyes narrowed even more as her arms relaxed by her side. The spike on her paws retreated. What happened next was too sudden for Arthur to stop it. There was a blueish blur, followed by a smack-like sound and a yawp. The Pikachu's eyes widened - a red spot had appeared on Lugh's cheek.

The Riolu brushed his wound. In doing so, he dropped some twigs on the ground.

«Listen to me carefully, Lugh, because I _won't_ repeat myself». Cruach's tone was as reassuring as having a sword hanging over your head by a Joltik's thread. «You need to achieve _perfection_ with every task - because there will be moments in your life when you'll have _no_ space for mistakes». She crossed her arms behind her back. «Have I made myself clear?». She pointed at the waterproof cloth under the Riolu's armpits. «So, bring that wood inside, then get yourself another pack basket and start over».

Lugh held back a comeback and bowed his head. «Y-yessir».

Arthur was livid with rage. His muscle tensed, he felt ready to slap that arrogant person in the face. However, all of his anger quickly disappeared as the Lucario looked upon him. Under that fiery gaze's pressure, the Pikachu's courage failed him. The Mouse Pokémon stepped backwards, shivering.

«As for _you_...» the Aura Pokémon started. «What you came here for is no business of mine, but if you want to become an Explorer, then I need to make myself clear about one thing». Her pupils shrunk to sand grains. «If you'll ever find yourself on a mission with me, allow me to tell you that I'll always demand _one_ thing from you».

«W-what is it?» the Pikachu asked, his knees trembling.

«Nothing but _perfection_ » the Lucario answered before turning around. «Well, I've expressed my opinions. See you later».

After that, the Aura Pokémon climber the stairs and left through a door on the landing's left side.

Three seconds later, Lugh bent forward, moaning sadly. Outside, rain was pouring down like a drum - it probably had started hailing.

Arthur clenched his fists and teeth. «What... a... maggot!» he exclaimed before turning to Lugh. «Are you alright? Who the hell was that?».

« _That_ was no business of yours» the Riolu coldly answered. He bent down and started collecting the wood. «I'll get you to the-».

«LUGH!».

"JUST LET ME FINISH SPEAKING FOR ONCE!" Lugh silently shouted as he raised his gaze to the landing.

Arthur did the same, but this time he didn't see anyone... until a small, cream-coloured head, topped by a pair of pointy ears lined with red fur, peeked through the balustrade. The Pikachu immediately recognized her; it was the same Pokémon Lugh had talked with at the video intercom.

The Fennekin tilted her head. «The Captain wishes to meet you».

«What the- now?!» the Riolu asked.

«Yes, now» the Fox Pokémon answered before gazing upon the Mouse. «And your name is...?».

«Ah». The Pikachu raised his hand in greeting.«My name is Arthur, it's a pleasure to meet you...».

The Fennekin frowned. «"Arthur"? That's a weird name... you're not from around here, are you?».

«...I can't know that» the Electric-type answered. «I have amnesia».

«Ah, right!». The Fennekin closed her eyes for a moment and facepawed. «Sorry, I had totally forgot about that». Then, her expression went back to seriousness. «Anyway, please follow me».

And she walked towards the hallway opposite to the one Cruach had taken. Arthur questioningly gazed at Lugh, who answered wit ha shrug. Then, the both followed the Fox Pokémon.

* * *

IV

«How long have we been walking for?!» Arthur asked, bending forward. «My legs hurt as heck!».

«Well, that sounds like your problem» Lugh answered, without so much as a trace of weariness. «If you can't hold your own, you're free to go back to where you came-».

«LUGH!» Bridget scolded him, stopping ant turning towards the Riolu. «Would you mind telling me w _hy_ the hell are you always acting like this?!».

«H-hey, he's got reasons to be mad!» Arthur exclaimed, having seen a golden occasion to step in. «Some bloke _slapped him_ when we entered! She said her name was Cruoch... Cruah... Cruà...».

«Cruach?». Bridget blinked, dumbfounded. «What the hell are you talking about? Cruach is the Guild's best Explorer - she would never hurt a little boy, much less her brother!».

«But I saw... wait, WHAT?!». Arthur quickly turned to Lugh. « _That_ was YOUR SISTER?!».

«Yes, so what?» the Riolu asked, slightly clenching his fists.

«Then-» the Mouse said, but he couldn't finish his sentence.

«Then, that's no business of yours» Lugh cut him off before turning to the Fennekin. «Please, pay him no mind, he doesn't know what he's saying».

«But-».

«He fell from high up and must have hit his head, he must be delirious».

«BUT-».

«And that's the end of our argument».

«BUT-!».

«BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!» Bridget suddenly scolded them. «Anyway, we've arrived».

The Fennekin stopped before a ginormous door. Arthur's eyes widened; that thing was at least four times taller than him and just as wide.

The golden plate attached to it sported few but plain words; "Captain's Office".

* * *

V

On the day of her tenth birthday, Kelly Moriarty had swore that she would have died rather than becoming a dull and boring grown-up always working behind a mahogany desk in a dull and boring office. Thirty years later, she was able to partially keep true to that promise - sure enough, she had become a solar and cheerful grown-up always working behind a mahogany desk in a dull and boring office.

Drumming with her fingers on the fine piece of furniture's surface, Kelly stood silent for a few minutes, almost not breathing, analyzing the last page of the document she had been sent the day before, the one she was supposed to sign to confirm that she had indeed read it. In a couple of days, that very same document would end between the Minister of Defence's paws alongside the other ones from every Explorer's guild in the country. About a month later, Kelly would receive a letter confirming that the Minister had actually received the document.

In her mind, Kelly would always go back to the good old times, when every new day meant new adventures. When she could still hope in the existence of a Guild independent from every government body, aimed only at improving the Éire's Pokémon's lives. When she was a few years younger and had much more coloured feathers, the exact opposite of the pasty plumage she was sporting now. When things were simpler and more immediate.

Snorting, Kelly dipped the pen in ink, signed where she was supposed to and slid the document to her side, leaving the ink to dry. She looked at the ceiling, longing sadly; oh, the things she would have done to get just another bite of the emotions of her days as an Explorer.

Little did she know that just, behind her office door, there was something more similar to a feast than a bite.


	4. Chapter 3: Criminal Mess

I

* * *

Bridget raised her paw and knocked gently on the heavy door. «Captain» she announced loudly. «There's some here who wants to talk to you! It's crucial!».

The Pikachu's ears rose up as he heard muffled noises coming from the office, followed by a sound of footsteps.

«I swear» an approaching feminine voice grumbled, «that if it's another reporter of the Clover, I'll smash their face!».

In that exact moment, Arthur hoped, with all his heart, he had never been a reporter from the Clover, whatever that was; whoever had spoken sounded as serious as they were mad. Slowly but steadily, the door opened. The Pikachu didn't even dare to imagine what kind of behemoth could push such a large and hefty thing open. He was sure his eyes would witness a ginormous creature, with beefy arms, massive deltoids and a hairy face. SO he was dumbfounded when his eyes gazed upon a feathered figure whose wan, almost grey plumage called an incredible sadness to mind, a complete opposite to the rage their voice was giving off just a few seconds ago.

The feathered creature gazed at the three Pokémon, before turning to the Fennekin. «Bridget».

She briefly lowered her head. «Captain». She pointed her ears at the two Pokémon behind her. «This morning, Lugh went to the Emerald Forest to gather some wood, and he stumbled upon this Pikachu, who declares to suffer from amnesia. I considered it worthwhile for me to bring him to you to assess his situation».

The feathered creature's eyes narrowed into slits as she gazed upon Arthur. He froze, his arms petrified along his sides. The Pikachu felt as if his soul was being inspected, and he couldn't shrug off the feeling that it was actually happening.

«...good» the Captain commented after five long seconds of silence. «My name is Kelly Moriarty. Now, shall we discuss this in my office?».

«Do as you please» Lugh instantly commented, pivoting. «I've got better things to do».

«No, you stay here» the feathered creature said with a decisive tone.

«What?!». The Riolu suddenly turned around again. «Why?!». He pointed at Arthur. «He's the one in needing help! What the hell have I got to do with this?!».

«You're the one who found him, so your statements are decisive» the Captain answered. She then turned to Bridget. «You go back to your duty, I'll call you when I'm done».

The Fennekin raised her tail. «As you wish, ma'am» she said before drawing away and disappearing in the hallway.

«Now». The feathered creature pointed at the office's door. «Let's make everything clear».

* * *

II

* * *

«And that's all I remember».

Kelly drummed her feathertips on the desk. «Nothing else?».

Arthur shook his head. «Nothing else».

The Riolu had kept his arms crossed the whole time without uttering so much as a word. He gave the Pikachu a subtle, annoyed glance before shaking his head. Having grown up without parents, the Captain was the closes thing to a mother he had. But at the moment, the boy just wanted to get out of there to fetch some wood.

«Now». Kelly turned to Arthur again. «We've made it clear that you know nothing about your past, so it's time to test your common knowledge».

The Pikachu tilted his head. «...my what?».

«Common knowledge» the feathered creature repeated. «You know, type relationships, dungeons, Pokémon species...».

The red-eyed boy blinked twice before asking: «What the _heck_ is a Pokémon?». He glanced at the two of them. «What are you?». He stared at his paws as his ears and tails drooped. «What am _I_?».

«He doesn't know a thing» Lugh butted in, without making so much as an effort to hide his disdainful tone. «I mean... how?».

A smile crept upon the feathered creature's beak, who turned to Lugh with remarkable composure and straight up told him: «Lugh, if you cut it off with this behaviour you'll be Normal-ranked as long as I live. Do you understand?».

Lugh huffed, annoyed. «Yes, yes, we do...».

«Good». Kelly turned to Arthur again. «So, you don't know anything?». She raised an eyebrow. «I find that highly hard to believe».

Arthur's head sank between his shoulders. «What do you mean by that?».

«You may be lying» the feathered creature said as she got up. «After all, you've got no proof to back up your statements, have you?». Leaning with her wings on the desk, she bent forward. «You could be an ill-intentioned lad who wants to take advantage of us; you could be a prankster; or are you a _spy_?».

«A s-s-spy?» Arthur whispered nervously.

«Or you could be a crook» Lugh added, sneering. «You wouldn't believe how many of those we get every day».

Arthur was dumbfounded. He was told that the Guild would've _helped_ him... so why were they accusing him? Why were they ganging up against him? What had he done wrong? He had seen the Cuallacht na Smaragaide as an anchor of hope... and now, he had been deprived of that anchor, leaving him to drown again.

He didn't know who he was. He didn't know where he was from. He didn't even know _what_ he was. No, upon reflecting on it, it was clear that he was one thing: alone. He was lost, in a world he knew nothing about, unaware of his origins and destiny, without anyone to help him. And maybe someone was worried sick for him; he could've had parents, brothers, sisters, wondering what had happened to him. But he could do nothing about it. It was a truly terrifying thought.

He covered his eyes with his paws. There was no hope for him.

«Hah, see?» Lugh commented. «He doesn't dare to look ut in the eyes because he knows we've exposed him!».

In that same moment, a single, faint sound echoed through the office; it was the same as that of the raindrops hitting the ground outside. Then, there was another one. And another one. And another one.

Arthur was crying. Tears were falling on the ground, lining his face, which he was hiding behind his paws.

The small, black appendages hanging from the Riolu's head shivered as he realized he had slightly crossed a line.

Kelly glared at him before letting out a weary sigh. «Well, now I've got no doubts». She then turned to the Pikachu. «Arthur, I apologize».

After a few seconds, the boy raised his gaze. His sight was blurred by tears; he could only discern shapeless colour spots.

«I just wanted to see your reaction» the feathered creature calmly explained. «And I think it stands to reason that you're being honest».

Arthur stood silent for a couple of second, dumbfounded.

«Unluckily» she added, glaring at Lugh, «it appears that _someone_ did not understand my intentions».

«HOW THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?!» the Riolu protested, slamming his hands on the desk. «I _really_ thought he was trying to scam us! I mean... come on! How can you forget what a Pokémon is? HOW?!».

«Listen, Lugh» Kelly nonchalantly responded as she raised two fingers. «First; keep your voice down. Second; there is a reason why they call it _memory loss_ ».

The Riolu rolled his eyes to the sky. «Alright, alright, I understand...».

«Good» the feathered creature commented, a stern scowl on her face. Keeping her glare on Lugh, she gestured towards Arthur. «Then go and apology».

The Riolu took a deep breath before turning to the tearful Pikachu. «I'm sorry».

The Electric type stayed silent for a couple of seconds before nodding meekly. «Apologies accepted». Arthur doubted of Lugh's sincerity, but he had more urgent things to worry about. He turned to the Captain one again. «So... you _can_ help me, right?».

Kelly remained silent for five whole seconds, keeping her wings joined over the desk before saying: «Arthur, I've got a deal for you».

The Pikachu tilted his head. «A... deal?».

«Since you've got no place to go,» the Captain said, «I think you should stay here for a while, until you get your memories back».

Arthur's ears and tails stood on end. «W-wait, really?!».

«Well, I sure as heck don't want to kick you out and have you live on the street» the feathered creature joked. «But in exchange for board and lodging, you'll have to do some work for us. Cleaning, maintenance of the Guild's equipment, guarding the gate... you know, that kind of things». She leaned forward and held a wing out to him. «Do we have a deal?».

«Do we have a deal...». Arthur wiped his face clean, and energetically shook the Captain's wing. «Of course we do!».

«Perfect!» the feathered creature exclaimed when the paw-wingshake was over. «In that case, you start now! There's this girl who joined us yesterday, an Eevee named Fay. You need to tell her to come here. She's in the room 104, on the first floor».

«Alright, I can do that!» Arthur confidently commented.

At which point Lugh got off his chair. «Well, if this is over, I believe I'll be going».

«Yes, with him».

«...pardon?».

«You, Lugh, will go with Arthur» the Captain explained. «I want you to accompany and explain him the way, then you'll be showing him around the Guild».

«What?!». Lugh's jaws dropped. «Why _me_?!».

«Because maybe you'll stop acting like a jerk» Kelly answered firmly. The Riolu opened his mouth but closed it soon after, unable to think of an answer. At which point the Captain added: «You may go now».

* * *

III

* * *

Slowly, Lugh closed the creaking door behind his back. He took his paw off the handle, letting it hang by his side. He was staring at the ground with an unreadable expression on his face.

Arthur stood silent by his side. He simply stared at the boy, a bit frightened. It took him five seconds to gather enough courage to say: «Uh... you okay there?».

Much to his surprise, Lugh turned to him with a seraphic smile on his face. «Yes» he answered calmly. «Yes, I'm okay... that's weird». He stared at his palms. «It's almost as if I wasn't angry at all- oh, no, wait». He clenched his fists and with a calm voice said: «It looks like I'm having a delayed reaction. Just give me a minute, and I'll get furious enough».

Arthur raised an eyebrow in surprise. «..wait, really?».

«OF COURSE NOT!» Lugh burst, taking the electric rodent by surprise. «I'M MAD AS HECK! I'VE GOT TO-». He lowered his voice to a whisper as he remembered that the Captain might hear them from behind the door. « _I've also got to work my arse off to guide you!_ ».

«H-hey, you don't have to» Arthur muttered, raising his hands. «The Captain told me that room 104 is on the first floor. I can do this on my own, really».

«Probably, yes, but it would take you too long» Lugh responded, «while I already know the way». He sighed, annoyed. «Listen, the sooner we go, the sooner I can have you out of my way. Follow me».

Arthur followed him. «So... what's a Pokémon?».

«Pokémon are the sentient lifeforms inhabiting this world» Lugh explained without facing him. «There are many species of Pokémon».

«So... the two of us are Pokémon?».

«Yes. To be more accurate, I'm a Riolu, and you're a Pikachu. The Captain's a Decidueye, while Bridget is a Fennekin».

«What about your sister?».

«...she's a Lucario. Something that I'll probably never get to be».

«What? Why?».

«Because-». Lugh stopped in his track midsentence. He stood still for a second before turning towards Arthur. «WHY THE HECK AM I EXPLAINING IT TO YOU?!» he almost shouted. «Leading you is a pain in the neck of its own, so why the heck am I bothering to explain things to you?!».

«How should I know?!» Arthur answered. «If you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me! I can learn things on my own; I mean, there has to be some kind of... library somewhere, right?».

«Yes, there is one in the Guild, you can- HOLY-!». He squinted and shook his head. «Alright, enough! No more explaining! Also, we're here».

Arthur raised his gaze. A wooden door stood in front of him. It was slightly smaller than that to the Captain's office. The number 104 was carved on the brass plaque. The Pikachu raised his paw and knocked.

«Fay?» he called. No answer came. He knocked again. «Fay? The... the Captain would like to have a word with you, ms Fay».

Again, his call was unanswered. Arthur tilted his head, confused. "Maybe she's not in her room?".

«She might not be in her room». Lugh voiced the electric mouse's doubts. «Great, now we also have to look for-».

A deafening thud echoed behind the door, followed by rustling noises and cussing. «Damn it, damn it, damn it, they found us!». The cusser was undoubtedly a male.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, confused, as he turned to Lugh. «That... didn't sound like a girl's voice. Maybe she's sharing her room with someone?».

«Not as far as I know» the Riolu answered, shrugging. Then, he violently rapped on the door. «HEY! Whoever's in there, open up! We need to-».

Lugh never finished his sentence. There was a loud bang, a purplish flash, and the door flew on his face, knocking him out and raising a cloud of dust.

«What the-?» Arthur started, but he was also forced to stop midsentence upon seeing a hail of green spheres racing towards him.

The Pikachu raised his arm, somehow managing to block the attack.

«Bullet seed? BULLET SEED?!» the male voice from earlier shouted. «YOU CAN USE MUDSHOT, YET YOU CHOSE TO USE BULLET SEED AGAINST AN _ELECTRIC_ TYPE?! SERIOUSLY?!».

«Sorry, sorry!» a second, higher-pitched male voice said. «I panicked!».

The dust eventually settled, and Arthur could see the faces of his aggressors. The smaller one was a grey Pokémon with chubby cheeks and a bushy tail culminating in a black tuft. The second one was a taller, reddish, four legged-creature whose eyes were surrounded by rings of black fur, like a mask; his tail, culminating with a prehensile appendage, was tightened around a big fabric sack.

They noticed Arthur. He noticed them.

They stared at each other, the three of them, for a silent moment, unsure about what to do. The silence was promptly broken when a beastly scream echoed through the hallway. There was a bright yellow flash, a door flying somewhere, and cussing so foul that a priest's ears would bleed upon hearing it.

All three of them turned around to see; the Riolu had heaved himself on his two feet. His pupils narrowed, his fur standing on end, and his fist clenched so hard that Arthur could see the veins on his paw. He was also wearing a very unpleased expression on his muzzle.

«Damn it!» the reddish Pokémon cussed. The idea of getting hit by a meteor-hard punch must have been terrifying, so much so that he dropped his bag, turned away and ran, screaming: «Let's get the hell out of here! Screw the loot!».

«What the- HEY, WAIT FOR ME!» the other begged as he rushed behind him.

"Loot?". It was only then that Arthur understood. "THOSE ARE THIEVES!".

He was about to chase them, but the Riolu picked him up under his arm like a bag of potatoes and started chasing the two outlaws.

«Hey, what- HEY!» the Pikachu protested, squirming and throwing not-so-effective punches at the Explorer's arm. «PUT ME DOWN!».

«We'll make it faster if I carry you!» Lugh explained as he abruptly swerved left. «You wouldn't keep up with your short legs!».

The Pikachu opened his mouth to protest, but looked at his legs. He had to admit they were much shorter than Lugh's. Eventually, he decided to shut up and stick with it.

They kept chasing them until the two reached a small grey door at the end of a hallway. A locked door, to be more precise.

Lugh finally put Arthur down and started cracking his fingers and neck. «Well, _well_ , _WELL_! FINALLY!».

«Damn it!» the reddish Pokémon cussed. «Damn it, damn it, damn it!».

«Okay, here's what's gonna happen». Lugh stepped forward. «Surrender now, and _maybe_ I won't hurt you».

«Yeah, like HECK WE WILL!». In an inexplicable moment of bravery, the grey Pokémon inflated his chest. «WE FACE NO DEFEAT! EVEN BETTER; WE FACE NOTHING AT ALL! NOT EVEN REALITY!».

The reddish one stood by his side, annoyed. «Holy crumb, lower your voice! Do you want everyone to hear us?».

The grey Pokémon lowered his head. «S-sorry». However, he raised his gaze again, this time turning to Lugh. «But you, Explorer... you shall know that even if you've got a type advantage against us, Alastar and Domhnall don't fear you!».

The reddish Pokémon blinked twice before smiling. «Alastar?».

The grey Pokémon turned to him. «Yes?».

«Why in tarnation did you tell them our names?» Domhnall asked, smiling in a seemingly calm way.

«Why, to instil fear in their HEARTS, OF COURSE!» Alastar exclaimed, inflating his chest with pride. «This is crime 101, duh!».

Domhnall got serious again. «Yeah, of course! Now they can track us down and report us!». He raised his forepaw and slapped his accomplice on the nape. «YA EEJIT!».

«Very polite» Lugh commented, making the two of them turn towards him. «Very polite of me to let you have that conversation».

«Well, sorry for the wait» Domhnall said with mock-courtesy. «Indeed, my accomplice may be dumber than a potato, but he's right about one thing - we never give up. _Ever_!».

Lugh sighed. «I did warn you...». He raised his fists, taking a fighting stance, and turned to Arthur. «Come on, help me take these two down».

«H-hey, hold up!» the electric mouse said. «I can't fight!».

That statement took Lugh by surprise. «What... NOW YOU TELL ME?!».

«YOU NEVER _ASKED_!» the Pikachu pointed out. «And even then, I didn't think that-».

He stopped midsentence when a ball of dark energy struck his jaws, sending him flying. He landed belly-up, but managed to get up fast enough to avoid an all-out assault from Domnhall, whose paws were wrapped in a weird, blackish aura.

«Well, that makes things simpler for us!» the reddish Pokémon commented. «Oh, yes, it will!».

He attacked again with a second Night Slash, but Arthur managed to dodge it by rolling backwards. The Nickit's claw got stuck in the wooden floor. The Fox Pokémon tried to free it, but it didn't move an inch, which allowed Arthur to punch him HARD on his jaws.

However, the impact was enough to free the outlaw, who took advantage of that by firing a Shadow Ball.

Seeing another ball of darkness coming towards him, Arthur quickly sidestepped it, leaving himself wide open to his opponent's following Night Slash. The full-power attack got a bull's eye on his chest. The Nickit swiftly landed behind his opponent.

Arthur could only stare, powerless, as three crimson gashes opened on his chest. His blood dripped on the floor.

Meanwhile, the Skwovet had attacked Lugh with Iron Tail, hitting his legs and tripping him up.

"Damn, he's fast!" the Riolu thought, crossing his arms in front of his face to parry a second Iron Tail.

Then, displaying stunning reaction times, he grabbed the Cheeky Pokémon by his tail and hurled him in the air. The Riolu's fist glowed as he prepared a Rock Smash attack.

When his opponent fell down and got in reach, he launched his attack. As he hit him, however, an orange brilliance enveloped the Skwovet's body, a glow that Lugh knew far too well, for it was typical of a move he had witnessed many times while training against his sister. He shielded himself with his arms a second before being hit by a violent orange beam.

"Bloody heck!" he mentally swore as the enemy's Counter pushed him three feet back. "He's got a type disadvantage, but he's a tough one...".

However, he had no time to react before a streak of blows to his legs from behind took him by surprise. Lugh clenched his teeth, silently swearing; he hated Play Rough with all his heart. The Riolu fell forward, slamming his face on the floor. He tried to heave himself on his feet, but Domhnall landed on his back, grounding him.

«It appears your type advantage was useless» the outlaw teased him. «Your legs are injured, and your friend is bleeding to death».

«Uh... shouldn't we... like... help him, or something?» the Skwovet shyly suggested. «M-maybe put some pressure on the wound... I mean... w-we don't actually want him to die, right?». He glanced at the Pikachu, lying face down in an ever-expanding pool of his own blood. «...right?».

«Alastar, you feckin' eejit! Which side are you on?!». The Nickit got off Lugh's back and approached the Normal type. «We're _outlaws_! We live by damaging other people!».

«Y-yes, but-» the Skwovet tried to object, but the Fox Pokémon didn't let him.

«Just open that damn door» Domhnall ordered, annoyed. «The sooner we leave, the better-».

A sound of stepping on a liquid and footsteps stopped him midsentence. They turned around.

Arthur had heaved himself on his feet. The three gashes on his chest exposed his warm, crimson flesh, throbbing with life. The fur surrounding the wound had turned a dark red, soaked with blood, and his breath was slow and irregular. But he had gotten up.

«Well, I hope you're happy!» the Nickit sarcastically commented, growling. «It seems I've missed all his vital points».

«I mean... i-it's a relief» the Skwovet admitted, «...but also a pain in the neck...».

«Anyway» the Nickit said, turning to Arthur as he prepared another Night Slash, «I hope you're ready for a second rou-».

A few drops of blood and a canine flew in the air as Arthur's fist connected to the Nickit's jaw with a precise upward movement from below.

The Fox Pokémon was surprised more by the simplicity of the attack than it's effectiveness. It wasn't a Quick Attack or a Thunder Punch - it was just a simple, regular punch, but it hit pretty hard.

«Okay, I'll break you in half!» the Nickit shouted, forgetting every escape plan.

Unsheathing a Night Slash, he jumped forward with a downward movement from up, aiming for the Pikachu's shoulder. But the latter moved back, and the Nickit's attack hit the floor. Then, Arthur slapped him on his left cheek.

«DON'T JUST STAND THERE, YOU EEJIT!» the Nickit shouted at his accomplice. «HELP ME! _DO_ SOMETHING!».

«R-right!» the Skwovet muttered as he took a fighting stance before telling the Pikachu: «T-to be honest, I... I don't l-l-like fighting a-all that m-m-much, so... I m-mean, s-since you're in r-rough shape... w-would you c-consider the idea o-of... g-giving up?». He looked at him, hopeful. «I m-m-mean... w-we don't _have_ to fight, do we?».

Arthur stepped forward, or at least he tried to, but his head suddenly felt dizzy, probably due to all the blood he had lost. He stumbled and teetered before falling belly-flat on the ground. The effort had been too much for him to handle.

"It hurts... it hurts so much..." he thought, gritting his teeth. "My muscles feel like they're on fire!".

Alastar stood silent, staring at him, his gaze occasionally falling on the ever-expanding pool of blood. «Uh... is... is everything alright?».

A slap on the nape from Domhnall made him whine. «Are you dumb or what?!» the Nickit scolded him. «Open that damn door before some kind of backup come!».

«R-right now, okay!» the Skwovet muttered, fiddling with the handle. «...it's locked...».

«THEN _FORCE_ IT OPEN!» his accomplice shouted. «Holy heck, it wouldn't hurt you to use your _brain_ from time to time!». He turned to the Pikachu, lying defenceless in front of him. «I'll be honest; this is my first time killing someone...». Dark energy gathered around his paws, forming a Night Slash. «It'll be a clean job».

His eyes fixated on the Mouse Pokémon, the Nickit slowly raised his paw, ready to strike.

«Roses are red».

Domhnall turned to Alastar, who was still striking the door with Iron Tail. «What was that? What did you say?».

«Me? Nothing... wait, you heard that, too?». The Skwovet stopped for a moment. «Was that a girl's voice?».

«Violets are blue».

«Holy heck, I knew it!» the Nickit swore while turning around, ready to face whatever opponent there was. «Backup has arriv-».

« _Omae wa... mou shindeiru!_ ».

There was a white flash, a brownish and pink blur, a loud bang and the sound of something being hit with extraordinary force. Domhnall ended up flying at his accomplice, and they were both thrown against the door, breaking it and raising a thick cloud of dust. With his last energies, his sight already getting blurrier and blurrier, Arthur raised his gaze.

He found himself behind a quadrupedal creature. Their body was covered by nut-coloured fur, except for the bushy tail's creamy tip.

«Let that be a lesson; NO ONE can steal from me! HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!» she shouted, before taking a more relaxed stance. «Jeez, you just can't leave for two seconds without this kind of things happening...». She shook her head. «Unbelievable...». She then turned around to face Arthur. «Maybe I should call the doctor...».

Her furry collar was also cream-coloured, and her eyes... sweet heaven, her eyes. So big and... pink. Arthur could have looked at himself in them, if only he wasn't bleeding to death.

He was cold. Very cold. Slowly, the world got darker and darker, colder and colder, weariness gently enveloping his flesh, calling him to sleep. Then, nothingness.


	5. Chapter 4: Going to the Doctor

I

The storm mercilessly raged above the dark ocean. Pale lightnings and loud thunders rode the skies, masters of clouds and winds. The maelstrom kept getting bigger by the minute, almost as if Kyogre was ready to shout his rage at the entire world.

However, right between the clouds and the waters, two Pokémon were fighting each other.

The wind brushing against his pitch-black fur, the red-eyed Mew raised his right paw. Small stripes of dark and red energy gathered there to create a tiny black sphere, which grew and shattered, revealing a sword with a blade blacker than darkness, split by a few irregular, scarlet, blood-coloured veins. He raised his weapon above his head before delivering a downward blow, unleashing a wave of dark energy against his opponent.

Water soaking his fur, the blue-eyed mew raised his left paw, calling upon all of his power. A ball of pure light gathered in his palm. It then grew and burst, unveiling a bright-white sword with a blade, as shining as a star, wrapped in curled, vine-like stripes of blue energy. The pale Mew raised the weapon above his head and, with an upward blow, released a wave of light against his enemy.

Both attacks clashed midway, a wave of darkness to devour all light against a wave of light to ban all that was dark, two completely opposite sides of a dichotomy. Darkness and light united briefly before disappearing with a bang.

«How long are you going to keep this up?» the black Mew asked in an earnest tone. «Is this really how you want it to go? Two immortals doomed to fight till the end of the world, completed with trumpets blasting?». An amused smile appeared on his muzzle. «'cuz then, I'd regret not having a huge bag of popcorns; if I do see the apocalypse, I want to enjoy it as epically as possible».

«Dubh, do not mess with me!» the white Mew angrily shouted. «You know it all to well that I'll keep going until one of us either gives up or dies!».

«As long as we're in the human world, dear brother» Dubh answered, summoning a second sword, «I'll never kill you».

The white Mew copied him, creating another sword in his free hand. «Then I'll never stop».

«It doesn't have to end like this» Dubh continued. «You just need to give. Me. The. Boy».

«Killing him would achieve nothing!» the white Mew exclaimed. «Even if his presence threatened the world's balance, him dying would solve nothing. His power would just end up in someone else's hands!».

«Oh, I know that well» Dubh commented. «But I won't just kill him».

Suddenly, the dark-furred New Species Pokémon disappeared. The blue-eyed Mew had less than a second to react, raising his guard just in time to parry two close downward blows. Their swords clashed.

«I WILL COMPLETELY DESTROY HIS SPIRIT AND SOUL!» Dubh shouted while pushing forward. «Just think about it; it's the only way!».

«NO!». The white-furred New Species Pokémon pushed his brother away. «There _must_ be another way!».

«Well, I'll give you this; you've gotten stronger» Dubh admitted. Then, he raised a finger. «But, you see... your brother would like to ask you something. Just one thing». He pointed at his brother's eyes. «When we talked last time, you looked pretty angry. But now... now that I'm closer than ever to finally getting the boy, I see hatred has left you. Why is that? What's pushing you to fight? Why are you protecting a threat to the balance of our world?».

The white Mew's face darkened as he tilted his head. Eventually, he let out a faint laugh. « _Aaaah_ … _ahahahahaaah_ … of course... all of our brothers would ask me the same thing, wouldn't they?». Still clinging to his weapons, he opened his arms. «"Hatred"? "Anger"? I've got no reason to fight you, brother...».

«What the heck are you saying?». Dubh frowned, mostly out of annoyance. «You should know better than anyone else that _everyone_ needs a reason to live, something to fight for, a role to fill!».

«True. But there are Pokémon and human exceptions». A lightning soared the sky, lighting up his rain-wet muzzle; his clear light-blue eyes glowed like embers. «I've got my reasons not to have a reason; it's just common sense». Suddenly, his gaze got deadly serious. «And it's something you'll never understand».

«...so that's how it is?» Dubh asked, tightening his fists. «Well, what can I say... you never cease to amaze me». A mocking smile appeared on his muzzle. «But you still can't beat me».

The white Mew's eyes narrowed. «It's not over yet... I'll protect him... WHATEVER IT TAKES!».

* * *

II

A cold breeze caused his fur to stand on end, and Arthur woke up feeling like he had just come back from an icy shower. He found himself laying belly-up, half-covered by a white sheet, his eyes opened under an unknown roof. As he tried to sit up, pain hit his chest, causing him to moan. It probably had something to do with the three pinkish scars disfiguring his chest. He almost immediately noticed he was laying on some kind of canvas cot identical to the six canvas cots at its left. Light entered the room through a big round window.

«Good, the patient reacted to the stimuli» a voice commented, jump-scaring him. «The Heal Pulses have worked».

The Pikachu slowly turned to his left. Right there, there was a definitely bizarre creature, with a folder in one hand and a pen in the other. They were bipedal and plump, tall as three times as him and covered in pink and creamy fur. They had light-blue eyes and weird appendages with curly extremities hung from their ears. They wore a yellow, green-checkered scarf around their neck.

«Uh, e-excuse me?» the boy started, raising his paw. «Where am I?».

«In the infirmary» the creature answered, looking away from the folder. «I'm sure you have a bunch of questions, but I'll need you to cooperate before I can answer».

Arthur's ears stood up on end upon hearing the word "infirmary". He then remembered his "fight" against the two outlaws; from his point of view, it had seemed more like several meaningless struggles to beat an enemy he had no hope of defeating.

«Oh, right; I forgot to introduce myself» the pink creature said while placing the folder on a nearby small piece of furniture. «My name is Poppy».

«M-my name is Arthur» the Pikachu introduced himself, slightly bowing his head. «It's a pleasure to meet you».

«I don't doubt that» Poppy commented, keeping up her serious attitude. Without even turning around, she opened a drawer on the cupboard behind her and pulled a flat, thin wooden blade. «Now, I think I should take advantage of you being here to run a quick examination - just to check if you're sick or something». She approached him. «Now, open wide». The Pikachu obeyed, and Poppy inserted the tongue depressor in his oral cavity. «Okay... from a first glance, I'd say you're fine». She took the tool out and threw it in the nearby bin. «Now» she continued while grabbing the far end of her right ear's appendix, «I want you to sit up straight».

Arthur was uncertain, but he nonetheless obeyed despite feeling slightly uncomfortable when Poppy pressed her ear appendix against his chest.

«Now, breath in» the creature ordered, and the Pikachu complied. «That's good. Now, breath out... good... now, turn around...». She placed the appendix on his back. «Again. Breath in... breath out... alright, that's good».

«Erm... not to be rude» the Pikachu attempted, «but ...what kind of Pokémon are you?».

Poppy didn't appear to be surprised by Arthur's question. «I'm an Audino. I'm a Normal type and the Guild's doctor; I'm specialised in family medicine». She grabbed her pen and folder in her hands. «So... have you got any allergies?».

«N-none that I can remember» the Pikachu stuttered. «I-I mean... being amnesiac and all...».

«Ah, right, the Captain did tell me about that». Poppy went back to the cupboard. «If that's the case, we'll have to run a few quick tests».

«The Captain?». Arthur tilted his head before suddenly remember about the feathered creature. «When did she come here?».

«She came when you were sleeping» Poppy nonchalantly answered, without even turning around. «And you slept for a long time; it's almost lunchtime».

As if to emphasise the Audino's words, Arthur's stomach loudly grumbled, prompting the Pikachu to blush a bit. Embarrassment aside, however, he did have to admit that Poppy wasn't wrong. He (quite literally) couldn't remember the last time he had eaten something.

«Anyway, you'll be free to go in a while» Poppy reassured him, turning towards him. This time, she was holding several phials and needles. «Now, we'll run a few tests for allergies, then I'll quickly check your teeth».

«Oh, come on!» the Pikachu commented. «What else? Blood tests?».

«No, it's better if we run those tomorrow».

* * *

III

«Mmh... mmmh... good, very good» Poppy commented, satisfied, as she checked the Pikachu's oral cavity with a mouth mirror. «I think I can undoubtedly say that you've got the cleanest, healthiest teeth I've ever seen».

Arthur closed his mouth, blushing slightly. «Uh... t-thanks».

«You're welcome» the stern Audino commented. «That makes it all the more important that you keep taking care of them. Understand?». The doctor then allowed the Pikachu to hop down the dentist chair. «Well, I'd say we're over». She turned to the cupboard and placed all her tools back there before glancing at the nearby pendulum clock. «My, my, it's half-past twelve p.m. already?». She calmly walked towards the door. «It's lunchtime; I suggest you follow me, Pikachu».

Arthur couldn't understand if it was a piece of actual advice or an order, but he chose not to make that bet. He quickly ran towards the door, upon which he noticed that the scars didn't hurt that much anymore, and he followed the doctor.

«So» he whispered, unsure, as they entered the hallway, «what is it that you Guild-guys do?».

«We explore» the Audino answered. «Why did you ask me?».

«Ah... Lugh told me about that» the Pikachu said, «but I don't think I've understood it well...».

«Well, we basically help people for money» Poppy seriously explained. «Sometimes a child gets lost, or someone gets robbed, and that's when we step in». They passed a wooden door and turned right. «We often end up in Mystery Dungeons, which are pretty dangerous, so they pay us well».

Arthur tilted his head in confusion. «Mystery... Dungeons?».

«They're... weird places. Their position is the same, but their insides change each time you enter them» the doctor answered, «so you never know what to expect».

«Hold up, how can their insides change each time someone enters them?!».

Poppy shrugged. «That's part of the "mystery". Some dungeons are also affected by special conditions; you can only enter alone, or you'll lose half your items the moment you step inside. I know for a fact that there are at least five of those dungeons somewhere in the world, on a hellish island... I think it's called "Zeta Island" or something...».

«That seems interesting» the Pikachu commented. «And what about us? Where are we?».

«We're on the Éire, an island of the Unwederic Isles» the Audino answered. «You'll do great here. Most people around here are pretty calm».

«Well, I guess that's good for me». However, Arthur's ears suddenly stood on end. «Hey, so... what happened to those outlaws?».

«The Nickit and the Skwovet? We caught them and delivered them to the authorities. They won't bother anyone for a while».

«Phew! That's a relief! Honestly, that... grey guy... I believe his name was Alastar... he seemed confused. First, he told me a thief never quit, then said something about not being forced to fight and giving up...».

«Weird. But I don't judge him».

«So... what's for lunch today?».

The Audino shrugged. «I dunno. Kells can be unpredictable».

The Pikachu raised an eyebrow. «Whos' Kells?».

«Our cook» the Audino explained. «Weird guy, but he's got his head on his shoulders».

«Oh. Cool. Very cool» the Pikachu commented. Suddenly, however, a stabbing pain in his chest caught him off-guard. «Ouch!». He brushed against the wound. «It hurts!».

«Well, they did beat you up pretty badly» the doctor told him, keeping her earnest behaviour. «There was blood everywhere».

Memories of the battle flashed in Arthur's mind. Pain stabbing his chest... fatigue burning his muscles... blood gushing out like crimson rivers... he could remember everything almost too clearly, as if he was still there, his face on the ground and his fur wet with his own life essence, still warm. The Pikachu couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

«Try not to think about it too much» Poppy suggested, albeit her voice made it sound more like an order. «It would ruin your appetite».

«B-but all that... stuff, those dark claws, that orange flash... what the hell was that?!» the Pikachu asked. «Heck, I almost died!».

«We will all end up facing "almost death", sooner or later» Poppy said, «and since you're alive, you've got nothing to complain about. What you saw before were "moves". They're Pokémon's way of fighting each other».

Arthur shivered, nervous. «You talk about it as if it happened every other day...».

«It does» the doctor said. «My theory is that the average Pokémon spends forty-thousand hours of his life fighting».

The Pikachu felt all blood leaving his face. «Ah... that's... uhm... a... an awful lot of time». Then, he added in a whisper: « _Please don't kill me..._ ».

«I won't» Poppy reassured him in an earnest voice. «As long as I don't have a reason to».

«Ha... hahaha...» the Pikachu laughed nervously. «That's... a nice joke...».

Poppy raised an eyebrow. «Joke? I never joke».

The Pikachu would rather not comment on it, and changed the topic. «So... you guys... explore?».

«Yes. We're Explorers» the Audino answered flatly. «It's what we do. Sometimes a new dungeon pops up, and we go take a look... we explore it. That's why we're called Explorers».

«Hold up... dungeons can pop up out of thin air?!».

«Oh, yeah. They keep doing that. And only when no one's watching. But there's, like, a one in a million chances of one popping up under your feet, so don't worry».

«If you say so...» Arthur whispered despite not being totally positive. «And... are there many dungeons here?».

«About fifty» the Audino answered. «The Emerald Forest is the closest, and that's where the Captain told me Lugh found you».

«That place didn't look that weird to me» the Pikachu said. «I mean... I got out of it just fine...».

«Then you probably were on the dungeon's outskirt». Poppy turned right, entering a hallway. «Well, that's for the better. You'd have had a heck of a harder time if you'd been deeper inside».

After two minutes of complete silence, the two finally reached their destination; the Guild's entryway.

«Wait, haven't I already been in this room when I... well, when I entered here?» Arthur asked while tilting his head.

«Indeed you have» Poppy answered as the walked towards the door under the stairways. «Hurry, now; it's lunchtime».

"Huh... I wonder what's for lunch", the Pikachu asked himself, following the doctor.

* * *

IV

The dining room was huge and incredibly crowded, and Arthur noticed - with a bit of embarrassment - that he was late. Four couples of table were lined amidst the room, all of which were occupied by several creatures. And all of them were eating.

«They sure are digging in...» Arthur commented, talking to himself more than Poppy, as he looked for an empty seat. «There's an awful lot of people» he quietly whispered, looking around as he advanced through the tables. «I just hope there's a free spot for me, too...».

«Here's a seat, if you want one».

A feminine, somehow familiar voice caught his attention. Turning around, the Pikachu found himself staring at a four-legged creature. He immediately recognised her; she was the Pokémon he had met that same morning, just before passing out. She was facing him, her forepaws leaning on the table, smiling quietly. There was an empty space right between her and... Lugh. Arthur didn't make her wait and immediately sat down.

«Uh... t-thanks» he shanked her, nervously scratching his wrist. Suddenly, he remembered about the job Kelly had entrusted him with. «Ehm... the Captain wanted to speak with you...».

«She already did» the Eevee told him. «She just wanted to ask me how I was doing in my room, nothing more».

«Ah» was all that came out of Arthur's mouth. «And... how are you doing?».

«Pretty fine» Fay answered. «Technically, it's a room for three, but all the other rooms are occupied».

«Well, that's nice» the Pikachu commented, just smiling. He then took notice of Fay's steaming bowl of soup. «...won't you eat?».

«Not yet». Fay wrinkled her nose. «The soup is still too hot, so I'm waiting for it to cool down before eating it».

«Oh. Yes, I guess that makes sense» Arthur commented, looking at the empty spot in front of him. «..hey, where's my plate...?».

«Oh, neat» Lugh said, thrusting a spoonful of soup in his mouth. «Yet another _pest_ ».

«Don't be a prick» Fay told him.

«Yeah, yeah, whatever» the Riolu said while eating another spoonful of soup.

The Eevee turned back to the Pikachu. «So... I heard you'll be working here as a staff member?».

«Yeah... so it seems» the Mouse Pokémon answered while trying to ignore his stomach's complains.

«May I know why?» Fay asked, answering to the Pikachu's quizzical gaze with: «I mean... the vast majority of those who join the guild do so to become Explorers. Have you got no ambition?».

«Wha- no, no... well, maybe yes, but... I can't remember!» the Pikachu quickly answered. «I'm amnesiac - I don't remember who I am, where I'm from, I don't even know what my favourite food is». He allowed his face to sink in his hands. «I only know my name, and the first thing I remember is that I was falling from the sky!».

«Oh... I'm sorry to hear that» Fay whispered. «Anyway, I don't believe we introduced each other; the name is Fay. It's a pleasure to meet you». She stretched her paw to Arthur, who hesitated a bit before shaking it.

«I'm Arthur» the Mouse Pokémon introduced himself. «...it's nice to meet you».

«Are you doing alright here?» the Eevee asked.

Arthur peeked at the three scarves disfiguring his chest. «I'm not sure... I mean, I _literally_ almost died...».

«Yeah, I heard what happened» Fay commented, frowning with anger. «Honestly, I'm happy those two ended up in jail!».

«Yeah... yeah, me too» the Pikachu admitted. «...I just hope nothing like that ever happens to me again because it was _terrifying_ ».

«Aw, you poor thing» Fay whispered, feeling really sorry for what the Pikachu had to endure. «Come on... after all, tomorrow is another day».

«Ah, uh... thanks». The Pikachu gazed at the Eevee's bowl. «I think it has cooled down enough; it's not steaming anymore». He then glared at the empty space in front of him. «...how is it that I don't have anything to eat yet?».

«I have no idea» Fay answered as she shoved her face in the bowl. When she re-emerged, her nose was wet with soup. She immediately cleaned it with a few quick licks. «Maybe the didn't warn the cook about you being here, but that'd be weird».

«Listen, I know it may sound like a dumb question» Arthur started, «but... what do Pokémon eat, exactly?».

Fay looked at him as if he had asked how much 2 + 2 was equal to. «...are you serious?».

«Hey, I'm amnesiac» the Pikachu remembered her. «I can't know!».

«Heck, sorry! I forgot!» the Eevee apologised. «Okay, so basically most Pokémon eat things like fruit, vegetables and mushrooms, but some of them can also eat metals, or poison, or other... less than edible things».

«Oh». The Pikachu was impressed. «That sounds really cool!».

«Well, that's... that's not how things have always been» Fay whispered, thrusting her muzzle in the soup. When she re-emerged, she said: «A long time ago, Pokémon had to eat each other to survive... it was a true nightmare. However, preys started evolving to defend themselves, and predators had to evolve new ways to kill them, thus triggering a true evolutionary arms race». She sighed in relief. «Luckily, all around the world, some Pokémon understood that we couldn't keep going like this, else we would end up destroying each other. That's when the first "civilised" communities began to pop up, communities where herbivores and carnivores could coexist... not always peacefully, but it was a step forward. It wasn't easy at first, but... well, that's how we got where we are today».

«Wow! So, like, cannibalism was considered normal?». Arthur's eyes widened. «Heck... those must have been some horrible times».

«Well, it's not exactly over yet» Fay explained, lowering her gaze. «Some Pokémon still practice cannibalism». She turned to Arthur. «But don't worry; you're very likely to never meet them». Suddenly, her voice and face got serious. «But there are still people who discriminates "potential carnivores", that is Pokémon that won't, but can, eat meat».

«Yeah, it'd be truly amazing if people stopped being pricks to each other just because of _what they can eat_ ».

The Pikachu almost fell off his chair as he heard a masculine voice from over his head. He looked up; there was a weird... purple thing hovering above him with an amused look. He had two arms, two legs, a tail, two reddish eyes and a smile with undoubtedly too many teeth. Arthur would think that he had come out of a nightmare if it wasn't for the chef hat on his head and the steaming bowl in his hand.

«Hi there» he said as he waved at the newcomer, landing. «The name's Kells».

«H-hi» Arthur stuttered, raising his paw. «M-my name is A-Arthur...». The Pikachu then glazed at the white, steaming bowl in Kells' hand. «...is that...?».

«You lunch». The cook placed his food in front of him. «You better eat it before it gets too cold; otherwise, it'll taste gross».

The Pikachu stared at the bowl's contents. It was full of soup, the same that Fay and Lugh were enjoying.

«Well... thank you. And... I guess I'll enjoy this meal» he said as he began to eat.


End file.
